Darren is a civic and cultural leader, institutional strategist, creative producer, and educator.

His work explores how arts institutions can become places of meaningful participation, public exchange, and belonging. Across disciplines and sectors, he designs programs, partnerships, and organizational frameworks that connect artistic ambition with civic purpose and translate ideas into durable public impact.

Darren is currently Director of Civic Programs at The Shed, where he leads a portfolio spanning artist commissions, residencies, public programs, community and government partnerships, and social impact. His team produces more than 50 programs and engages over 50,000 people annually. His work includes Open Call, The Shed’s large-scale commissioning program for early-career artists; its Social Practice Artist-in-Residence program; public programs; and a portfolio of social impact programs in collaboration with government and community partners. He is a founding partner of Project Open Arms, a collaboration with New York City Public Schools and more than 50 community organizations that has connected over 10,000 families living in temporary housing with essential services and resources. He also develops institutional frameworks for designing what artistic experiences make possible around and beyond their presentation.

Previously, Darren was the founding Program Director of A BroaderWay, where he helped build an arts-centered leadership organization for young people, managed multidisciplinary teams, and partnered with its governing board on strategic planning and fundraising efforts. At New York City Center, he was a founding producer of Encores! Off-Center and developed the Lobby Project, a series of participatory events designed to activate audiences before performances. He also co-founded internship programs at both City Center and The Shed that have expanded pathways into the cultural sector.

As a co-founder of tall poPpy, inc. alongside Jeanine Tesori and Torya Beard, Darren develops artistic projects, educational initiatives, and advocacy campaigns focused on equity and systemic change. He spent five years developing and facilitating educational programs with YoungArts. His creative credits include producing Evita and Diary of a Tap Dancer, V6 at New York City Center; producing adrienne maree brown, Troy Anthony, and Charlotte Brathwaite’s To Feel A Thing at The Holland Festival in Amsterdam, co-producing Ayodele Casel’s While I Have the Floor at Spoleto Festival USA; serving as assistant vocal producer for Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story and the original Broadway cast album of Kimberly Akimbo; and serving as co-creative director for Idina Menzel’s international world tour.

Darren serves on the executive committee of the West Side Cultural Network, a coalition of 23 cultural institutions, and on the board and fundraising committee of The People’s Theatre. He holds a master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he studied leadership, organizations, entrepreneurship, and arts and learning, and a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan.

Across his work, Darren returns to central questions like: How does an institution become different because of its relationship with its publics? How can we design institutions and experiences that allow people to exercise agency, encounter one another differently, and shape what happens next?